Omen (Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi, Book 2) [Hardcover]

Christie Golden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 23, 2009

The Jedi Order is in crisis. The late Jacen Solo’s shocking transformation into murderous Sith Lord Darth Caedus has cast a damning pall over those who wield the Force for good: Two Jedi Knights have succumbed to an inexplicable and dangerous psychosis, criminal charges have driven Luke Skywalker into self-imposed exile, and power-hungry Chief of State Natasi Daala is exploiting anti-Jedi sentiment to undermine the Order’s influence within the Galactic Alliance.

Forbidden to intervene in Jedi affairs, Luke is on a desperate mission to uncover the truth behind Jacen’s fall to the dark side–and to learn what’s turning peaceful Jedi into raving lunatics. But finding answers will mean venturing into the mind-bending space of the Kathol Rift and bargaining with an alien species as likely to destroy outsiders as deal with them. Still, there is no other choice and no time to lose, as the catastrophic events on Coruscant continue to escalate. Stricken by the same violent dementia that infected her brother, Valin, Jedi Knight Jysella Horn faces an equally grim fate after her capture by Natasi Daala’s police. And when Han and Leia Solo narrowly foil another deranged Jedi bent on deadly destruction, even acting Jedi Grand Master Kenth Hamner appears willing to bow to Daala’s iron will–at the expense of the Jedi Order.

But an even greater threat is looming. Millennia in the past, a Sith starship crashed on an unknown low-tech planet, leaving the survivors stranded. Over the generations, their numbers have grown, the ways of the dark side have been nurtured, and the time is fast approaching when this lost tribe of Sith will once more take to the stars to reclaim their legendary destiny as rulers of the galaxy. Only one thing stands in their way, a name whispered to them through the Force: Skywalker.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Golden, an author new to the multiple Star Wars series, is likely familiar to readers from her long tenure as a Star Trek author. As the second in the projected nine book series, Omen is slower paced than the first volume, Outcast (2009), and more devoted to developing the series arc. Han and Leia are at home on Coruscant, as more Jedi go crazy, government pressure on the Jedi increases, and the media swarm the Temple. Ben and Luke continue their quest to uncover Jacen’s secrets as each of the crazed Jedi was in contact with him and is exhibiting powers previously only displayed by Jacen. They travel deep into the Rift to encounter a mysterious group of beings with a strange relationship with the Force, using it to power their ships and see the future. A new complication is introduced with a secret lost planet full of Sith (who have recently regained space travel), and Jacen’s trail appears to be leading Luke and Ben into their midst. Series fans will enjoy this entry and the continued exploration of the huge and mysterious Star Wars galaxy. Demand makes this an essential purchase for all science-fiction collections. --Jessica Moyer

About the Author

Christie Golden is the award-winning author of more than thirty novels and several short stories in the fields of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. Her media tie-in works include launching the Ravenloft line in 1991 with Vampire of the Mists, more than a dozen Star Trek novels, and the Warcraft novel Lord of the Clans.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: LucasBooks; 1st edition (June 23, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345509129
• ISBN-13: 978-0345509123
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1 x 9.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #137,731 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Award-winning author Christie Golden has written over thirty novels and several short stories in the fields of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Golden launched the TSR Ravenloft line in 1991 with her first novel, the highly successful Vampire of the Mists. She is the author of several original fantasy novels, including On Fire's Wings, In Stone's Clasp, and Under Sea's Shadow, the first three in her multi-book fantasy series The Final Dance from LUNA Books.Among Golden's other projects are over a dozen Star Trek novels and the well-received StarCraft Dark Templar trilogy, Firstborn, Shadow Hunters, and the forthcoming Twilight. An avid player of Blizzard's MMORPG World of Warcraft, Golden has written several novels in that world (Lord of the Clans, Rise of the Horde) with three more in the works. She has also written two Warcraft manga stories for Tokyopop, I Got What Yule Need and A Warrior Made. Golden lives in Colorado with her husband and two cats.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I blame the editors, July 6, 2009

By 

Marc Weinstein "MAW74656" (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Omen (Audio CD)

I mostly liked this book. It had a lot of interesting character moments, some decent action, and some interesting plot points.

That said, I have a few problems with this title, but only one of them can be placed at the feet of the author, Ms. Golden. I like her writing, she is great at characters (See Star Trek: Voyager Homecoming). Here is my one problem with Golden's writing. Several times during this book, Jedi ignite their lightsabers to cut through a door or wall. They've done this in the past, and they'll do it in the future. My problem is that each time, Golden goes on for several paragraphs about how difficult it actually is to cut through a wall with a lightsaber. Look, its a valid point, and something the other authors have ignored, but I got it after the first time. WE GET IT! ITS HARD TO CUT THROUGH A DOOR WITH A LIGHTSABER!

And I also would have liked to see some mention of the droids, and some of the other peripherial characters, but since other books do this to the expense of the big 3 (Han, Luke, Leia), its a minor complaint.

My other complaints with the title are more related to how it fits into the overall series and I believe these issues are the fault of the editors giving Golden strict guidelines.

-I love the father-son moments with Luke and Ben. Love them. I love the Father-Daughter moments with Han and Jaina. All of these scenes were great, but there were a lot of them. My problem here is that if you look at the first book in the series (Exile), you see almost none of it. This book felt very heavy on such moments, and light on important events. The editors need to encourage the writer's to balance this out more, to include a better balance in future books.

-Leia and Han getting their granddaughter a pet is NOT enough of a plot line to last the entire book. This is again the editor's fault, for telling Golden that Leia and Han must be in almost the exact same condition as they were before the book started. There are a plethora of crisis going on, and Leia (who has been instrumental in solving all crisis within the past 40 years) decides to go to a pet show? HUH?

-Acting Jedi Grand Master Kenth Hamner. Where do I begin? How about here: I can't remember him ever being introduced. We know almost nothing about him. The first mention of him that i can recall is in NJO: Edge of Victory Part 1 where he warns Luke and Mara that they are about to be arrested. Golden tried to get into his head, but the editors wouldn't let her create more of a backstory for him, and therefore, he still has almost none. And also, isn't he a JEDI MASTER? How can so many people lie to his face? I also can't remember him ever using the force.

-Also problematic is the visit with the Aing Tii. Many of the scenes here could have replaced "Aing Tii" with "Baron Do" and we never would have noticed the difference. The two visits were framed in very similiar manners.

-Also, editors: Amelia scenses something from the moon of Kessel in "Exile", tells Leia about it, and SHE DOESN'T INVESTIGATE!? Heh?

-And, lastly for now, my last complaint with the editors handling of the series: Why in the name of the force would Luke leave R2-D2 with Han and Leia? R2 is great with information and repairs, surprisingly good in a fight, doesn't take up that much space, and oh yeah HAS BEEN BY LUKE'S SIDE EVERY MINUTE FOR THE PAST 40 YEARS! Luke has risked his life multiple times to rescue R2, and now just dumps him on his sister like he's a nuisance? Now I haven't seen blueprints, but it seems to me like there's room on the Jade's Shadow for him.

All of this said, I loved the Sith on Kesh (even though it was obviously an afterthought), and Sylgal having an increased role is really cool. I am chomping at the bit for the next book. I just hope the editor's pay more attention.

16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lather, rinse, repeat, July 4, 2009

By 

New Jersey reader (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Omen (Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi, Book 2) (Hardcover)

Is LucasFilm Ltd. so hard up for money that it justifies charging $27 for a book that is essentially a repeat storyline of Allston's Outcast, and a short one-- fewer than 300 pages-- at that?

Two Jedi go insane, wreck havoc, are captured ; Luke and Ben go to the next stop on Darth Putz's scavenger hunt and learn... not much, just that there's another mystical destination ahead! Vestara was a mildly interesting new character, but the parts devoted to her especially read like a YA book. I have nothing against YA books, many of them are better written and more compelling than a lot of dreck aimed at the adult market. However, Omen was not one of these.

The most ridiculous element in the book was the subterfuge employed in order for Jag and Jaina to... go on a date. Honestly, I kept thinking there was going to be more to it, that all the fuss and bother and resources were going to lead to a covert mission. But no; it was just a silly, junior-high-esque caper so they could presumably hook up privately. It was so reminescent of a fanfic written by a squealing tween fangirl I expected to see in print "Jag & Jaina sneak off for a date!!! Chaos ensues!!!"

Save your money on this one and borrow it from your local library or spend an afternoon in a bookstore cafe reading it; it won't take that long. Sadly it seems to be an on-going trend with the franchise that the books' promise does not live up to the execution.

Oh, and Ben saying "Lubed" will never not be unintentionally hilarious.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, July 1, 2009

By 

Jeremy Cruz "SW guy" (Riverside, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Omen (Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi, Book 2) (Hardcover)

I really don't think the author was aware of some of the basic rules for writing a Star Wars book.

First, she wrote about characters that don't interact with the main characters. This "support" or "proper back-grounding" is utterly alien to the Star Wars expanded universe. I mean, what's the fun if you know stuff about people before they suddenly appear to attack or save the day?

Second, she wrote conversations between Luke and Ben that have nothing to do with saving the universe! Establishing familial ties between father and son is also something that Expanded Universe fans don't want to see!

Third, she wrote simple, but still very expressively. If you miss they days of Zahn, writing about Bothan fur ripples, you're in for a surprise! It's almost like she hasn't read all of the star wars book and therefore probably doesn't worship them!

Have you figured out that I'm being sarcastic yet? This is a GREAT book, true it was destined for paperback, but I really enjoyed the pacing and the thought that obviously went into it's construction.

I almost wanted to take back every bad thing I have said about woman that write Star Wars books (Almost..., I'm still nursing that grudge against Barbara Hambly for 'Children of the Jedi')

Thanks again Ms. Golden. It's nice to see the expanded universe (& Sith) growing in this new exciting story! I'm actually looking forward to the next book in the series, as well as your future contributions.